Beautiful
by Chickeerafish
Summary: Kate is going to the final book release party for Castle's Nikki Heat novels, but what does she find when she's there? Songfic


Okay, so I know I should be working on my other story to any of my other readers that might be reading this, but I just got into Castle recently, and it just called to me. This song, called "Beautiful" by Jim Brickman, is one of my favorite songs ever. It is so adorable and if a guy ever sang it to me, I would marry him in an instant. Please let me know how this is, as it's my first Castle fic and I'm not sure I got their characters right. By the way, who else hated the ending of yesterday's episode, when Beckett kissed whatever-his-face-is? I nearly cried. Anyways, check it out!

Disclaimer: I own this story, but none of the characters, the song, or anything else that's clearly recognizable as not mine.

Kate Beckett was a strong, realistic woman. She, like all other women, had a romantic side, but she, unlike most other women, prided herself on keeping this side under lock and key. She didn't like to admit it, but at one time, she had led this side take advantage of her, and overrule her sense of reason, which had led to excruciating heartache for her years ago. From that experience, she learned to keep her inner romantic just that, in her. She locked it away and buried herself in her work. All men were the same to her, they didn't love her for her, they loved her for her position or her looks. There were never exceptions.

Beckett was not a fan of Rick Castle's "Nikki Heat" novels. She liked the books and all, but she had never _loved _them like some others did. She was only going to the book release party because after working with him for the part 3 years, she felt she owed it to him.  
She stood up from her favorite chair and stretched before strolling to her closet to get the dress she had gotten specifically for this occasion. It was a deep, fiery red the lightened into orange and then to yellow as you looked upwards from the bottom, making her appear as if part of a flame. It was a slightly low-cut V-neck with a tight bodice.  
Beckett smirked, knowing that Castle would appreciate her looking especially hot for this evening, both literally and figuratively. She then put on her red platinum pumps and a little smoky eyeshadow and finally her mother's ring and her father's watch. She left for the party reminiscing, remembering when Castle had asked her about them.

As Beckett walked into the party, there were a few small gasps from those who had never seen her dressed up before. Castle looked up from his fan club to see her, and at his expression, she quickly looked away, blushing. He had been staring at her like she was something unusual or extraordinarily beautiful, like a double rainbow or snow in July. She decided to disregard this and go see Esposito and Ryan.  
"Hey Beckett!! Lookin' smokin'!" said Esposito loudly, turning a few heads at the noise. She glared at him and he shut up, but grinned at her cheekily, causing her to roll her eyes. Typical.

"So we saw Mr. Castle looking at you a minute ago. He seemed to be thinking the exact same thing we were," Ryan told her, also grinning, and sipping his glass of expensive alcohol that was being served. She just shot him a "talk again and you die" look, but instead of shutting him up, it seemed to make him eager to continue as he disregarded it and pressed on. "No seriously, I think you should go talk to him." Kate just shook her head and walked off.

She stood at a distance from everyone else, thinking. Did he look at her that way all the time, and how in the world did she not notice it before now? The extra sparkle in his eyes when he was teasing her or even just helping her solve a case. Did he really see her as she saw herself in his expression? Or was that just him looking at her and seeing his character, Nikki Heat. She just didn't know what to think of him anymore.

"Hello Kate," said a voice from behind her. She jumped, almost spilling her drink before scrabbling for her gun and realizing it wasn't there. She swore under her breath, the looked at who had snuck up behind her. She sighed and relaxed: it was just Castle.  
"Hi Castle," she said. He just smirked at her jumpiness. Then his expression softened and he said, "You look amazing." Kate blushed and looked down. What was she doing? This wasn't her. Kate Beckett did **NOT **blush, or let Richard Castle's comments give her butterflies. She didn't get butterflies. Ever. _Especially_ from Castle.

"Kate?" Castle said again, and she jumped, realizing that not only was this the third time he's said her name, but he was using her name. Her _first _name. She looked over at him again and smiled slightly, "Yeah, Castle?" she responded finally. He sighed. "You can call me Rick you know." She looked at him for a moment, considering, before saying, "Alright. Rick." He smiled at her and she nearly shivered at how much more personal it became just by using each other's first names.

"So... Rick... Now that your book deal for Nikki Heat is over, what are you going to do now. Is there another deal for _more _Nikki Heat that you're going to sign or something?" Kate asked him, sipping her drink and trying to seem nonchalant, while her heart was beating wildly in her chest. What was going on?  
"I'm not sure," he told her honestly, softly, "My editor thinks I shouldn't sign for more, shouldn't waste my time on more Heat novels, thinking that it will start to get old. She wants me to move on to a new character, someone less over done now."  
Kate's pounding heart stopped, now it was her head the was pounding, spinning. Castle was leaving her? He wasn't going to be following her around like a lost puppy, a lost annoying puppy, anymore? He's be out of her hair for good now, so why did it make her feel so awful? She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of never seeing him again, and a lump got caught in her throat as she tried to swallow and breathe. She got her emotions in check quickly, but the threat of impending loneliness hung at the back of her mind, threatening to overwhelm her if she loosened her grip on the door she had locked it behind. She had to leave.

"Well then, it looks like I'll finally have you out of my hair," she responded, trying not to notice the way his face crumpled. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go," she told him matter-of-factly, her voice beginning to crack. She walked away, nearly running, trying to escape before the cascade of tears overtook her.  
She slowed, just before she was completely out of sight, and turned around. She walked back toward Castle a little bit, just needing some closure. "It... It was nice working with you, Castle," she said, taking in his expression for a moment before slowly sticking out her hand. He hesitated, then took it in his large warm hand and shook it. Beckett nodded and began to turn away to leave again, but something was preventing her. She looked back and realized that Castle was still holding her hand.

"Would you like to dance," he asked her. "Just once, before we part ways for the last time." The poetry of his mind expressed itself in his voice and words, with the quiet pleading of a lost man hiding just beneath it. She opened her mouth, a million excuses on the tip of her tongue, ready to be used as she steeled herself to let him go. When she opened her mouth to make the excuse however, what came out was nothing that either of them had expected. "I would love to."  
Castle... Rick looked shocked for a moment, but then pulled her out into the dance floor just as a new song came on, causing Kate to gasp.

_-From the moment I saw you-_

_-From the moment I looked into your eyes-_

_-The was something about you-_

_-I knew, I knew-_

Kate looked up at Rick, the tears beginning to return to her eyes in realization of what this song was. Rick looked at her, "What is it?" Kate blinked rapidly to clear her rapidly fogging eyes, before tell him. "This was my parent's first dance song at there wedding, and my mother's favorite song of all time... and mine. But I haven't heard it once since she.. since she passed away." Rick smiled at her, and Kate was able to let herself relax into his strong arms and just drift away into the music, for the first time in years.

_-That you were once in a lifetime-_

_-A treasure near impossible to find-  
-And I know how lucky-_

_-I am to have you-_

They just stood and swayed, not really dancing, but not just hugging either.  
"Are you really done with the Nikki Heat novels?" she asked him a whisper, unheard to all but him.  
He shrugged slightly. "I'm not sure really. If I can convince my publisher that I shouldn't put her away... and if my muse is willing to keep her shadow," he finished slowly, looking directly into her eyes at the last statement. She felt like he was looking into her mind, right into her soul, but she couldn't look away.  
Finally, is was him that broke away to look at something behind her. He looked back at her quickly, leaving her no time to see what or who he had been looking at.  
"Kate? Would you mind helping me with something?" She looked at him to explain, but he just looked at her until she nodded.

_-I've seen rainbows that could take your breath away-  
-The beauty of a setting sun-  
-That ends a perfect day.-_

"Thanks," he smiled lightly, nervously. "There's this... this girl. This woman. She's beautiful, and really smart, and stronger than anyone I've even met before." Kate's heart sank as he described this woman. The expression on his face as he spoke of her... her really was in love with her. It wasn't at all polluted by lust or desire, this was pure love.  
"And even though I see her everyday," he continued, "I don't think she even sees me as a friend, let alone anything more." Kate steeled herself for what she had to say, she had to let him go without ever telling him she cared.

_-And when it comes to shooting stars-  
-I've seen a few-_

"I think she probably likes you a whole lot, and is just really good at hiding it." she said, her heart breaking just a little bit with every word. "See, but she's really closed off too. She closes herself off to all men really," he told Kate. She realized that the mystery woman seemed more like her by the moment.

"Well she'll probably open up to you the moment she sees what I saw on your face." Rick looked shocked for a moment before Kate continued. "I saw that the way you feel for her is love, real love. True love. Not contaminated by anything. I can see it on your face when you think of her and hear in it your voice when you talk about her. So just go ask her out already. Show her that, and she'll never leave you. Ever." Kate finished, the strain of giving him up so easily was beginning to take it's toll and she knew she had to leave very soon.  
"I really have to go now. See you around." She smiled at him and began to leave again, letting her facade fall away slowly. Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she was spun around to see Castle smile at her hugely. 

_-But I've never seen anything-_

"Wait, you can't leave yet. I still haven't this woman how I feel," he told her still smiling. She looked at him, shocked and hurt. He was that oblivious that he would make her watch as he got farther and farther from her?  
Just as the tear began to overwhelm her, a pair of warm, soft lips brushed hers, two warm hands pulled her closer, pressing her to him as she smelled the smell that was uniquely Castle. All her guards fell then, her carefully built wall crumbled as she finally admitted that he loved her and that he was all she would ever need. She wrapped her arms around him and they tangled themselves in his hair of their own accord as she kissed him back, trying to show him how she felt all in that one kiss. He smiled against her lips at her response.

They pulled away, just a little out of breath and presses their foreheads together, ignoring the wolf whistles from Esposito and Ryan. She gazed breathlessly into his eyes and told him, "I told you she would let you in." He smiled at her. "I love you Kate Beckett." She smiled back and pulled him in for another kiss as her response, knowing he meant it.

_-As beautiful as you-_

_ So? How was it? Good? Bad? Horrible-you-should-go-die-in-a-pit-for-making-this-awful-story? I really hope it's not that last one... Anyways, I outta go, as my parents think I'm writing my history paper on Rasputin right now. :/ _

_Peace, Love, and Pickles! :)_

_~*Chickeerafish*~_


End file.
